1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for feeding end securing tapes, with which a plurality of end securing tapes are fed sequentially into an end securing apparatus for simultaneously securing ends of a plurality of products.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, after products are obtained, ends of the products are secured to the products. For example, after flexible, long strip-shaped materials (i.e. webs), such as sheets of paper, films, and metal foils, are wound up around cores and web rolls are thereby obtained, ends of the webs are secured to the outer circumferential surface of the web rolls. Heretofore, for this purpose, an adhesive has been applied to the ends of the products or end securing tapes have been adhered to the ends. Various end securing apparatuses for sequentially securing the ends of products with end securing tapes have been proposed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 50(1975)-121698 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 61(1986)-5973. One example of such end securing apparatuses comprises an end securing tape adhering means, with which an end securing tape is adhered to an end of a product, and an end securing means, with which the end of the product having the end securing tape adhered thereto is pushed by a rotatable roller against the product and is thereby secured thereto.
In order for the ends of products to be secured sequentially, it is necessary for an apparatus to be used which feeds the end securing tapes sequentially to the end securing apparatus.
One typical example of such an apparatus for feeding end securing tapes comprises an endless belt, which is located in the vicinity of an end securing tape adhering means of an end securing apparatus. A plurality of end securing tapes are placed on the endless belt and sequentially conveyed to the end securing tape adhering means.
However, the conventional apparatuses for feeding end securing tapes have only the function for feeding the end securing tapes. Therefore, with the conventional apparatuses for feeding end securing tapes, a side end of each end securing tape to be fed must be folded such that the end securing tape can be separated easily from the product after it has been applied in order to secure the end of the product to the product. Alternatively, each end securing tape must be treated and imparted with properties such that it can be separated easily from the product. Also, it is necessary for the end securing tapes to be provided with release paper or an equivalent function such that no problem may occur from the adhesive surfaces of the end securing tapes during the operations for processing the end securing tapes. Therefore, the cost of the end securing tapes cannot be kept low.
Additionally, it is desirable that end securing operations can be carried out for a plurality of products with a single end securing apparatus. (For example, it is desired that the end securing operations can be carried out simultaneously for a plurality of web rolls, which are located along a single axis, with a single end securing apparatus). For such purposes, a single apparatus for feeding end securing tapes has heretofore been used for each product. In such cases, for example, when the size of the product (e.g. the cutting width of the web roll) is changed, it is necessary for each of the apparatuses for feeding end securing tapes to be provided with a mechanism, which adjusts the position of each apparatus for feeding end securing tapes. Therefore, the apparatus for feeding end securing tapes cannot be kept simple and cheap.